By Adedapo Adesanya
Hyundai Motor Company has donated 27,000 personal protection equipment (PPEs) worth N35 million to Nigeria to assist front-line medical workers and the public in the fight against the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The contribution towards Nigeria includes 25,000 face masks and 2,000 protective suits to help the country combat the COVID-19.
The donation was made to the Lagos State Government towards its COVID-19 Relief programme at an event presided by the Head, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Investments, Ms Solape Hammound.
She said it was heartening to see positive stories of altruism by corporates and individuals reinstalling hope and the confidence that humanity shall overcome this situation and emerge stronger.
Present at the event, CEO Stallion Group, Mr Anant Badjatya, said the contribution was part of Hyundai’s commitment to supporting those in need in the region. He said that all the protective gears will be distributed to the hospitals supporting COVID Care in Lagos.
He added that the situation in Nigeria could have been very different if it was not handled with speed and in time by the governing authorities and sincerely thanked Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for his vision and the able team for efficiently handling the situation with aplomb.
Brand Manager, Mr Gaurav Vashisht, added that in recent weeks, Hyundai has helped those in need around the world through donations and contributing medical equipment and personal protection items.
The Vice President, Head of Hyundai Motor Company Middle East & Africa HQs, Mr Bang Sun Jeong, said: “Caring for humanity has always been at the heart of Hyundai’s vision and having assisted those in need in countries around the world, we are proud to expand our support to countries across the Middle East and Africa region that have been hardest hit by the pandemic.
“The contributions of personal protection items are another step forward of making a positive difference and we believe if we work together, we can overcome anything.
“We sincerely hope our efforts contribute towards making a difference in this fight. We are committed to supporting the communities in the region, and we hope this helps in ensuring the safety and wellbeing of people.
“We believe if we stay together, we can overcome anything. We hope this pandemic can soon come to an end and we can help people get back to their daily lives.”
Among Hyundai’s initiatives to tackle COVID-19 globally include delivering emergency supplies to medical facilities in China, offering free transportation for the elderly and healthcare professionals in Brazil and providing a fleet of its vehicles to volunteers and self-isolating customers in the UK.
Nigeria is one of the 37 countries that will benefit from Hyundai’s assistance, which is part of the company’s pledge to donate medical equipment and personal protection items worth over $2.4 million to countries across the Middle East and Africa in an effort to help tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.
Aduragbemi Omiyale